Impact of droplets onto inclined surfaces

Drop impacts onto dry walls and liquid films at low impact angles and low normal Weber numbers are experimentally investigated. Measurements were performed using a high spatial resolution CCD camera and short exposure times, yielding both qualitative and quantitative information about the impact. Whereas a droplet generally deposits on the surface for high impact angles, a rebound can occur at lower angles and for smooth or wetted surfaces. No rebound is observed for rough surfaces. A low viscous liquid (water) will either rebound or deposit on smooth or wetted surfaces. A high viscous liquid (glycerin) may also disjoin into two droplets, depending on the impact angle. A correlation is presented for the size of the secondary droplet. A further correlation quantifies the critical impact angle at which rebounding first occurs in terms of the normal Weber number.